Wire strapping tool



Aug. 19, 1952 E. WHITE 2,607,372

WIRE STRAPPING TOOL Filed April 10, 1946 8 J9 7% z zfl m 57 846 4 A/ 1 29. 6 2'0 7 m a 53 15 J 1114155 ,1" 55 Patented Aug. 19, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WIRE STRAPPING TOOL Ernest White, Port Alice, British Columbia, Canada, assignor to Griplock, Inc., Hoboken, N. J., a corporation of Delaware Application April 10, 1946, Serial No. 660,992

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a wire strapping tool which is designed for fastening around packages straps composed of wire, and it is particularly intended to be used in combination and cooperation with a wire strap which has been formed with one end turned back and coiled around the body of the wire, so that the knot may be made by passing the other end ofthe wire strap through the said coil and then crushing or flattening the coil so as to deform it and the parts of the wire therewithin into a firm interlocking engagement.

Machines for producing such straps are disclosed in United States patent application filed by John Sholtis, Jr., and Harold K. Embree on March 8, 1945, under Serial Number 581,688, now Patent No. 2,439,272; and in United States patent to W. N. Lurcott, No. 1,427,962, issued September 5, 1922. Previous tools for knotting the straps are set forth in United States patent application filed by Harold K. Embree and Burton L. Watt on February 3, 1945, under Serial Number 576,054, now Patent No. 2,442,679; and in United States patent to Burton L. Watt and James J.

Smith, No. 2,124,991, issued July 26-, 1938; as well as United States patent to Mark H. Stratton, No.

1,776,868, issued September 30, 1930; in the operation of which tools, simultaneously with the above described knotting of the strap, the excess of its free end is severed to improve the appearance and eliminate the long end which otherwise might present a hazard in subsequent handling and shipment.

An object of the invention is to provide such a device in which the crushing of the coil to form the knot is accomplished by jaw-like relative movement of cooperating elements.

Another object is to provide such a device in which one of the jaw elements is stationary and one movable.

Another object is to provide such a device in which the jaw action is progressive in its effect upon the coil as distinguished from direct crushing which contacts the whole coil at once.

Another object is to provide such a device in which the movable jaw element is pivoted and is arranged to have contact with the operating mechanism at a point located a greater distance from the pivot than is "the jaw itself, whereby the effective crushing power is increased.

Another object is to provide such a device in which the movable jaw element has an elongated arm which is formed for roll and socket, or the like, engagement with the operating mechanism.

Another object is to provide such a device in 2 which the arm on the movable jaw element is actuated by a thrust bar, or the like, which has a'swinging connection with a power driven reciprocating member, such as an hydraulic piston.

Another object is to provide such a device in which the line of travel of the piston, or the like, is substantially at right angles to the line of action of the movable jaw element.

Another object is to provide such a device which is very compact in structure so as greatly to facilitate its handling in the confined spaces within which it is used.

A further object is to provide certain improvements in the form, construction, and arrangement of the parts whereby the above named and other objects are effectively attained.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawing, in which I Fig. 1 represents a top plan view of the tool;

Fig. 2 represents a front end elevation thereof, showing a portion of the strap in position to be crushed for knotting;

Fig. 3 represents a rear end elevation;

Fig. 4 represents a section taken in the plane of the line IVIV of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 5 represents a view similar to Fig. 4, with certain parts in different positions;

Fig. 6 represents a section taken in the plane of the line VI--VI of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 7 represents a detail view of the ends of the wire ready to be crushed for knotting, with the free end that is to be severed shown as bent to a position substantially at right angles with the remainder to facilitate the severing.

The tool constituting the subject matter of this invention is of that class designed for cooperative use with wire straps such as hereinabove described, in order rapidly and securely to bind packages of various kinds, but, more especially, packages composed of material that may be compressed, as by the platen of an hydraulic press, while the strap is knotted around the package, and will expand upon release of the compression so as to tension or tighten the strap. Paper pulp is a good illustration of such a material. The tool is adapted to be associated with a compressed package around which such a wire strap has been manually placed, and thereupon to deform the coil and contacting parts of the strap by a crushing pressure which establishes the knot and causes the strap firmly to bind the package with the desired tension after the compressive pres- 3 sure has been released and the package has expanded.

Those portions of the strap which cooperate with and are acted upon by the tool are well shown in Fig. 7, where the body of the strap is denoted by A, its coil by B, and its end which is passed through the coil for knotting and subsequent severing of the excess is marked 0. It will be understood that the broken'away part of the strap which is not seen in the figure consists of the main body thereof which ha been passed around the package before the toolhasbeen placed in operative position. 1

Referring now to the drawing, thetool coinprises a casing, denoted generally by l," which, has a cylindrical body portion 2 developed at one end into 2. depending fixed jaw 3, that is cut away to form a support for an anvil plate composed of a pair of oppositely tapered slabs 4 and 5. The

anvil plate is fixed in position by screw bolts 6, which traverse the jaw 3, pass freely through holes 1, 1 in slab 4 and are threaded into slab 5. As the holes I, T are considerably larger than the cross'section of the screw bolts s, 6, the elevation of the slab .5 can be varied by moving the slab d to the right .or left in Fig. 2, whereby adjustment of the anvil plate can be effected and wear compensated. Slab 5 is preferably composed of hardened steel. 7

Journals, one of which is shown and marked 8, are formed at each side of. the fixed jaw, 3 fitted to receive bushings, one of which is shown and marked 9, that constitute bearings for the trunnions, one of which is shown andmarked iii, of a pivoted movable j aw i l. 7

As a result of this construction, the jaw .H is pivoted at each side of the fixed jaw .3 so that it can be oscillated toward and from the anvil plate in the operation of the tool, to accomplish which oscillation, the. jaw H is provided with an elongated curved arm i2v which has its extremity i3 rounded inorder to fit into a semi-circular groove I 4 that is fashioned in one end of a thrust bar I5 which has its other end rounded for reception in a substantially semi-circular groove it that is formed in the lower end of a piston H. In describing the grooves it and 5 as semi-circular or substantially semi-circular, it is meant that they have that form in cross section, the grooves as such being straight.

From the immediately foregoing description, it will be evident that motion of the piston I7 to the left in Figs. 4. and 5 will cause the movable jaw II to rock on its trunnions [6 toward the anvil plate composed of the slabs 4 and 5, which motion serves to crush the coil of the strap as will be hereinafter described. Fig. 4 of thedrawing shows the parts in position before this functional motion of jaw H, and Fig. 5 shows the position of theparts upon the completion of said motion. In order to retract the jaw H from the position shown in Fig. 5 to that shown in Fig. 4, it is provided with a: lug IE to which is connected one end of a retractile coil spring l9 which has its other end connected to a hook 2% that is formed on the end of a bolt 2| fixed in the cylindrical portion 2' of the casing I.

In order to accomplish severing of the excess free end C of the wire strap, apair of cutters 22, 23 is provided, the former of which is set into a slot in the fixed jaw 3 and removably secured therein by a screw 24, while the latter is similarly set in a slot in the movable jaw l l and removably held therein by a screw 25. Upon the operative motion of the jaw H, the cutter 23 is vide a substantially fluid tight engagement of the piston ll with the inner wall of the cylindrical'portion 2 of the casing l in order to render effective an hydraulic means for actuating the piston, which means will now be described.

A substantially cylindrical casing cap 29 has a reduced end which is threaded into the cylin- 'drical portion 2 of the casing as indicated at 3'3,

which cap has a threaded bore 3! that receives the threaded end of a conduit 32 which leads from a suitable source of hydraulic power (not shown) such for instance as any well known or approved form of pump or the accumulator of an hydraulic press. A. valve seat 33 is also threaded into the bore 3i and cooperates with the ball head 34 of a valve which has a stem 35 that rests in a reduced portion of the bore 3! and is designed for operation by a manually actuated spindle 36 which is mounted transversely in the casing cap 29 and secured in position by a nut 31 withstuffing gland 38. A handle 39 is secured to the protruding end of the spindle 35 by a screw bolt 40 for manual actuation.

, The spindle 36 is circular in cross section but is provided with a, flattened portion AI in line with the valve stem 35 which flattened portion, when in register with the said valve stem, will permit the ball head 34 to have closing contact with thevalve seat 33 so as to prevent entrance of the hydraulic fluid, such as oil, from the source of power. turned so that its circular surface registers with the valve stem 35: ,v the ball head 34 will be unseated and the hydraulic fluid may enter through conduit 32, bore 3!, valveseat 33, flattened portion ii of spindle 35, and thence through channel 42 formed in casing cap 29 in line with bore 3!, into the cylindrical portion 2 of the casing l and hence into operative contact with piston ll. The channel 42 is enlarged at its inner end, as indicated at 43, in order better .to provide fluid contact with the piston I! when the latter is in its retracted position illustrated in 4%.

An outlet conduit 44 is threaded into a bore formed in the casing cap 29, which bore is in line with a second flattened portion 45 on spindle 36. A channel 4'! is also formed in the cap 29 in line with the flattened portion is, and a valve seat 33 is threaded into the said channel for cooperation with the ball head 49 of a valve which has a stem 5% designed for cooperation with the spindle 36 and the flattened portion 46 thereon. When the stem '56 is in register with the flattened portion it, the valve is closed by the seating of the head 49 on the seat 48; and when the stem is in register with the circular surface of the spindle St, the ball 49 is unseated and the valve is open. A collar 5i is threaded into the end of the channel 41 to prevent dislodgment of the parts therewithin.

In order to provide for circulation or" the hydraulic fluid when the spindle 36 is turned so that the ball head 34 is seated to revent ingress of the hydraulic fluid and the tool is, therefore, idling, a by-pass 52 is formed in the casing cap When, however, the spindle 35 is.

29 and leads from the bore 3| at a point outside of the ball head. 34 to the channel 41 at a point inside .the ball headx43' which latter is, in this position of the spindle, unseated. In this position of the parts, represented in Fig. 4, the hydraulic fluid entering through conduit '32, .will travel through by-pass 52 to channel 41, through valve seat 48, flattened portion 46, bore 45, and outlet conduit 44 back to the source of hydraulic power, which circulation may continue indefinitely without any operative effect upon the tool. When the ball head 34 is unseated so as to permit ingress of the hydraulic fluid to the piston 11 for operating. the tool, the ball head 49 is seated. thereby rendering the by-pass inoperative-as illustrated in Fig.5.

4 The spindle 36 is frictionally heldiin different positions to which it is manipulated by .a' brakeplunger 53 which is set .in a bore formed in the cap-29 and opening to the spindle 36, thesaid brake-plunger being controlled .in its effect by an adjustable screw plug 54 and an intervening yieldable pad or washer 55. A recess 56 is formed in the inner face of easing cap 29 to accommodate the head of screw 28 when the piston I1 is retracted.

In orderto preventexcessive hydraulic pressure upon the piston l1, an adjustable vent is provided which consists of a screw bolt 51 that is threaded into a bore 58 formed in the cap 29 andformsa seat for one end of an expansion coil spring 59 which has its other end bearing upon a ball valve 60 that serves to open and close communication through a pair of ducts, one of which marked 6| leads to the interior of cylindrical portion 2 of the casing while the other, marked 62, leads to bore 45. By adjusting the screw 51 the .tension of the spring 59 may be variedwith corresponding variation in the degree of hydraulic pressure at which the vent will become effective. I

A gasket 63 is interposed between portion 2 of the casing and the cap 29 to make the joint fluid tight. The angular by-pass 52 may be fashioned in the cap 29 by suitable drilling and plugging, all of which is sowell understood by those skilled in the art as to call for no illustration or specific description. A safety guard or shield 64 is secured to the casing by screws 65, 65 to protect the movable jaw and associated parts as well as the operator, and screws 66, 66 are threaded into the trunnions to hold the bushings 9 in position.

In operation, one of the wire straps is laid in a suitable groove formed in the top of the lower platen of a press, the package to be bound by the strap is positioned on the platen in the desired relationship to the wire strap, the upper platen of the press is lowered to compress the package, the tail end of the strap is brought upwardly along one side of the package and threaded through a groove formed in the face of the upper platen, so that the coiled end of the strap and the tail end thereof are exposed to the operator at. one side ofth e package. The operator then passes the tail end of the strap through the coil on the other end thereof, pulls the tail end therethrough a predetermined; distance, and bends it substantially at right angles, as illustrated in Fig. '7. The operator then positions the tool against the side of the package with its fixed jaw 3 between the strap and the package and with the coil B lying on the anvil plate composed of the slabs 4 and 5 while the bent end 0 lies between the blades 22 and 23, as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4. The operator then seizes the handle 39 and turns the spindle 36 so as to permit an ingress of the hydraulic fluid to the piston H, as hereinbefore described. An hydraulic force thusreleased will move the piston from the position shown in Fig. 4 to the position shown in Fig. 5, with the result of causing the movable jaw H to swing on.its trunnion pivots from the position shown in Fig. 4 to the position shownin'Fig. 5 with the result of crushing the coil on the wire strap and sever-' ing the free end. This crushing of the coil will deform it and the parts of the strap lying therewithin so as to establish a strong and dependable knot 0r fastening; The operator then turns the handle .39 was to rotate the spindle 36 and permit the fluid to exhaust through conduit 44 while the spring l9 moves the jaw l l, the thrust bar l5, and the piston IT to retracted position. The tool may then be removed from its cooperative relationship with the package and the upper platen of the press may be raised to permit'the package to expand and thereby tension thestrap firmly around it.

While the tool is comparatively small and may be handled by an operative, it is convenient to have the same suspended, as by a counterbalanced rope, adjacent the press, so that the operative need merely swing it into position and actuate it as above described without being required manually to support the weight of the tool.

As presses, e. g. hydraulic, with grooves in their platens as above described are well known in this art, there is deemed to be no occasion for illustration or further description thereof; nor is there believed to be need for describing or showing how the packages are placed upon the lower platen of such a press because that may be done manually or by conveyer, as is familiar in this industry. It may be added that the platens of presses for the purpose hereinabove mentioned commonly have grooves extending in both directions thereacross so that wire straps may be placed in two directions at right angles to each other around packages, if desired.

As it is customary in practice for a large number of packages of the same material and size to be bound insuccession, the-operator will be provided with straps of suitable strength and length for the purpose, which straps may, if desired, be marked to indicate how far the operator should pull the free end C through the coil B before bending the end at right angles, as illustrated in Fig. '7. In this way the" knotted strap will be of the same length for the successive packagesand the expansion of the packages following elevation of the upper platen of the press will lead to uniform tension of the straps around all the packages.

strappmanufacturer, uponbeing provided with the necessary data as to the character of the package and the transportation and handlin through which it is destined to pass, can. determine the size and strength-of the wire st'rap best suited to the purposeas' well as thedegree to which the coil of the strap and the parts of the strap therewithin should be crushed and deformed in order to establish an adequate knot without danger of rupturing or fracturing the strap through excessive crushing pressure. Thus the tool operator will know what degree of hydraulic pressure should be used in the tool for the various occasions of its use and can not only take such measures as are available for controlling the pressure received by the tool from the source of supply, but can very accurately predetermine and Outstanding advantagesv of this invention in-.

clude the progressive manner in which the-crush:

ing pressure is applied to the strap by :the mov able jaw H which, because of its relationship to the anvil plate slabs 4, and its arcuate motion, engages the coil of the strap in the-first instant at one side thereof and thengradually assumes a position of direct downward pressure'substantially parallel to the anvil plate. .Suchan action affords the strap more time in which to accommodate itself to the distortion involved in the I crushing-action, and lessens the liability of fracturing the-wire. Again, the fact that the force of the piston is exerted substantially at right angles to the direction of movement of the jaw H, enables advantage to be taken of the elongated arm l2 on the said jaw whereby the actual pressure exerted by the piston is greatly magnified in the crushing power of thejaw. This arrangement of the parts also leads to compactness of-the-to'ol which is a practical virtue of importance mainly because of the restricted space in which the tool frequently, if not usually,has to operate. Again, the rugged construction of the thrust bar and its roll and socket engagement with the piston and arm l2 of the movable jaw imparts an extremely efiecti-ve operative contact between the straight line reciprocating piston and the arcuately oscillating jaw. Between its use in connection with successive packages, the handle 39 may be moved so'as to turn thespindle 36 into its inoperative position and the tool may be permitted to idle, .so to speak, with the hydraulic fluid entering the conduit 32, traversing the bypass 52 and flowing out through the conduit 44, without aflecting in any way the piston I I 0 parts connected therewith.

While the operation of the tool embodying the present invention has been set forth in connection with straps that have been merely manually ten'sioned around packages, it will be clear that the tool is adaptable to the knotting and severing of straps which have been subjected to tensioning devices, as is reflected by the patent application 576,054 and Patents 2,124,991 and 1,776,868, previously mentioned.

It. will be understood that various changes may be resorted to in the form, construction, material, and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention; .and hence I do not intend to be limited to details herein shown and described except as they,

may be included in the'claims or required by disclosures of the prior art;

"What I claim is:

v1. A tool of the character described comprising, a fixedjaw, a pivoted crushing jaw, means on the fixed jaw for supporting portions of astrap to be crushed with the said portions lying transversely to the plane of movement of the pivoted jaw, and fluid actuated means for causing the, operative face of the pivoted jaw to move froman angular relationship to a substantially parallel relationship with respect to the supporting means on the fixed jaw, whereby the effect on the portions of the strap being crushed 'is progressive,- said fluid actua'tedmeans including an arm on said pivoted jaw of greater length than the distance of the jaw from its pivot, a p-iston,,and :a

thrust bar intermediate said arm and said piston and having a swinging engagement there- 2. Atool of the character described comprising, a fixed jaw, a pivoted crushing jaw, means on the fixed jaw for supporting portions of a strap to be .crushed with the said portions lying transversely to the planeof movement of thepivoted jaw, and fluid actuated: means for causing the operative face of the pivoted jaw to move from an angular relationship to a substantially parallel relationship with respect to the supporting means on the fixed jaw, whereby the effect on the portions of the strap being crushed is progres sive, said fluid actuated means including an arm on said pivoted jaw of greater length than the distance of the jaw from its pivot, a piston, and a thrust bar intermediate said arm and said p15 ton and having a roll and socket engagement therewith. I

,3. A tool of the character described comprising, a fixed jaw, a pivoted crushing jaw, means on the fixed jaw for supporting portions of a strap to be crushed with the said portions lying transversely to the plane of movement of the pivoted jaw, and fluid actuated means for causing the operative face of the pivoted jaw to move from an angular relationship to a substantially parallel relationship with respect to the supporting means on the fixed jaw, whereby the efiect on the portions of the strap being'crushed is progressive,

said fluid actuated means including an armon said pivoted jaw of greater length than the distance of the jaw from its pivot, a piston, and a thrust bar intermediate said arm and said'piston and having a roll and socket engagementtherewith, :the free end of said arm and one, end of said thrust bar being rounded and the said piston and the other end of said thrust bar being grooved for the purpose of establishing said roll and socket engagement.

' ERNEST WHITE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 190,642 'Stouffer May '8, 1877 v 719,242 Martin Jan. 27, 1903 902,652 Greenleaf et al. Nov. 3, 1908 1,060,477 Meyers Apr. 29, 1913- 1,093,151 Seek Apr. 14,1914 1,397,911 Tossizza Nov. 22, 1921 1,907,539 Hanna May 9, 1933 2,047,061 Edwards July 7, 1936 2,124,991 Watt et .al. July 26, 1938 2,252,560 Embree Aug. 12, 194-1 2,301,889 Lear Nov. 10, 1942 2,326,924 Bone Aug. 17, 1943 2,355,520 Fischer V Aug. 8, 1944 2,364,011 Wales Nov. 28, 1944 2,387,449 Koman Got. 23. 1945 

